April 27, 2003

Contact: Bob McComas (724) 738-2777 e-mail: Robert.mccomas@sru.edu

ROCK TRACK & FIELD EXCELS AT BALDWIN-WALLACE INVITE

            BEREA, Ohio – Nine Slippery Rock University outdoor track and field student-athletes finished first in their respective events Saturday to lead The Rock’s effort at the Baldwin-Wallace Invitational.

           Senior sprinter Linsey Westerman (Freeport/Freeport HS) won the 100-meter hurdles event with a time of 14.90 seconds and ran a leg of the winning 4X100 relay (49.11).

           Also on the winning relay were freshmen Jill Rekich (Butler/Butler HS), Andi Rose (Houston/Wheeling Park HS) and Melissa Sopher (Slippery Rock/Slippery Rock HS).

           Westerman was one of four Rock women to claim a blue ribbon.

Kristen Jones (so., Enola/Bible Baptist HS) won the triple jump with a leap of 35 feet, 4 inches. She also finished second in the 100-meter dash (12.32) and placed third in the long jump with a leap of 17 feet, 0 inches.

            Karyn McCready (jr., Johnstown/Westmont Hilltop HS) won the women’s javelin with a toss of 154 feet, 0 inches.

            Jen Mehall (jr., Erie/McDowell HS) won the women’s pole vault with a vault of 10 feet, 6 inches.

            Rose also finished second in the 100 hurdles with a personal-best time of 14.73, while Sopher was second in the 400 hurdles with a time of 1:03.93.

On the men’s side, Ben Steingrabe (jr., Hermitage/West Middlesex HS) won the 110-meter hurdles with a time of 14.69 seconds and was fourth in the 200 with a time of 21.80.

            Tony Carr (fr., Turtle Creek/Woodland Hills HS) won the men’s javelin event with a toss of 176 feet, 2 inches.

            Laura Ryhal (fr., Greenville/Greenville HS) claimed a second-place finish in the women’s long jump with a leap of 17 feet, ½ inch.

            Mackenzie Gurcak (jr., Pittsburgh/Baldwin HS) placed third in both the women’s shot put (42 feet, 1 inch) and discus (140 feet, 4 inches).

           Two Rock women placed seventh in their respective events, Meredith Hubbard (jr., Gibsonia/Pine Richland HS) in the 1500-meter (4:51.95) and Allie Yun (sr., Cranberry Township/Seneca Valley HS) in the 5000-meter (18:44.95).

           Three Rock men claimed fourth-place finishes: Casey Pratt (so., Erie/McDowell HS) in the 800-meter (1:56.21), Rob Flatt (sr., Butler/Butler HS) in the 3000-meter steeplechase (9:37.55) and Nick Wilpula (sr., Mercer/Mercer HS) in the pole vault (15 feet, 11 inches).

            Chris Reynolds (sr., Greenville/Reynolds HS) earned a fifth-place finish in the men’s pole vault with a vault of 15 feet, 0 inches.

           The Rock will host a meet on Wednesday at N. Kerr Thompson Stadium designed to allow competitors another opportunity to qualify for or improve their times for the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference championship meet.

# ROCK PRIDE #